Using a Countdown for Family Christmas Projects Click here to download the free Christmas Countdown Advent Calendar FROM WENDY: Our Christmas Countdown Tradition We have been doing a Christmas countdown in some form since the oldest kiddos were barely big enough to count all the way to 25. This is one of my favorite Christmas traditions with the kids because of the anticipation it creates, but also because of the ability to incorporate new ideas in with old favorites. There are endless genius, adorable advent calendar creations on Pinterest. Years ago I bought a set of small white favor boxes that I labeled with numbers 1 to 25. I fill each box with Hershey Kisses for each member of the family, and use clothespins to clip to a heavy duty clothesline or strong strand of garland. We used to hang the garland across the mantel of the fireplace, but since we don't have a mantel these days, we currently stack the boxes on a counter in the playroom. Before the 1st of December each year, I plot out the activities that I want to incorporate into our Christmas celebration that year. While early years were more about just having fun together, this year I wanted to shift the focus to activities that focus on kindness, gratitude and reflection. Also, since this is our first year homeschooling, I wanted to use the activities during our morning circle time, so a number of them involve more learning opportunities than activities we've use in prior years. Our Christmas countdown is attached below so you can use it for your family. The cards are all undated so you can tailor it to your family's schedule, and there are a few more than 25 so you can choose the ones that fit you best. When planning, I always look ahead on the calendar to feel out what days will work best for each activity. I also don't make up days if we start late or happen to miss one. Sometimes this means we miss out on something fun. But I would so much rather miss out than turn what was supposed to be fun into a pressure-filled to do list! My hope is that we can inspire an atmosphere of celebration and gratitude, and enjoy one another and the season. Here's what we are doing this year: Sharing with others